Jesse Scheckner
Florida may have fewer left-lane laggards on high-speed roadways next year if the Senate approves legislation that just zipped through the House.
The bill (HB 317) cleared the Legislature’s lower chamber on a 113-3 vote. Its twin companion (SB 258) now awaits consideration beside it on the Senate floor.
If approved, the measure would provide that the left lane on roadways with speed limits of 65 mph or more is for passing only.
“If you have ever been frustrated by drivers camping out in the left lane on the interstate, then this is the bill for you,” said Fort Myers Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the bill’s sponsor.
“When drivers impede the flow of traffic in the left lane, it’s not only a cause of frustration for us, but it creates a dangerous situation … of less predictability, more encounters, more maneuvers, more opportunities for accidents and more opportunities for increased road rage.”
The measure would not apply to authorized emergency vehicles engaged in maintenance or construction. In cases where the leftmost lane is marked for high-occupancy vehicle use, the restriction would apply to the lane directly to its right.
Naturally, that rule would apply only to thoroughfares with two or more going lanes in the same direction. Motorists could still use the left lane to exit, turn or if directed by police or traffic control devices.
The House floor vote Thursday marked the first time HB 317 faced opposition in the chamber, as Democratic Reps. Christopher Benjamin of Miami Gardens, Dianne Hart of Tampa and Angie Nixon of Jacksonville voted “no.”
Benjamin told Florida Politics his problem with the bill, which he hadn’t been able to vote on until Thursday, is that it will likely lead to reduced roadway capacity.
“The current law requires that when you are in the left lane and you are given the signal to pass, then you must evacuate the lane. This new law will reduce all highways by one lane now, providing that the only time you can ride in the far-left lane will be to overtake someone and then return to the right lane,” he said by text.
“Governments have spent money on widening roads and increasing the number of lanes in order to help alleviate traffic. That will now be negated by this bill.”
According to MIT, every U.S. state has a law regarding proper lane usage, though they differ in specifics. Florida Statutes provide that motorists should drive in the right lane to keep from obstructing traffic and creating dangerous driving conditions, including right-lane passing and weaving from lane to lane.
But left-lane driving isn’t expressly prohibited. HB 317 and SB 258 would change that by making it a noncriminal traffic infraction punishable as a moving violation. “The statutory base fine is $60, but with additional fees and surcharges, the total penalty may be up to $158,” a House staff analysis said.
HB 317 and SB 258 are substantively similar to measures Persons-Mulicka and Gainesville Republican Sen. Keith Perry carried during the 2023 Session. Perry’s bill died before reaching a Senate floor vote. Persons-Mulicka’s bill was added to another measure that ultimately failed to pass.
Perry is again sponsoring the Senate bill, which awaits a full and final vote by the chamber after clearing three committees with nary a roadblock.
16 comments
Tom Palmer
February 15, 2024 at 10:48 pm
;More micromanaging by Tallahassee. These people need to get a life.
The Villages Of Gaza, from the $400,000s!
February 16, 2024 at 4:46 am
Wait til they tell you ‘no more cars older than 10 years’ when Big NADA lobbies to improve stagnant car sales.
China already did it, to motorcycles too. No more 11+ year old cars.
The Villages Of Gaza, from the $400,000s!
February 16, 2024 at 4:43 am
No enforcement = No laws
That’s Florida’s new license plate motto.
We can’t stop fentanyl but left-lane cruising, sure.
Abbecrombie
February 16, 2024 at 8:46 am
The left lane has always been for passing only, not the right lane, not the middle lane. The rule of the road for decades has always been pass on the left, not drive however in the heck one wants to.
But when anyone can come into this country and do whatever they want, it had just become a darn free-for-all, hasn’t it!
And I ain’t whistling Ted Nugent.
PeterH
February 16, 2024 at 9:15 am
…..finish the thought of this legislation!
“……and once this legislation is passed into law not a single police officer or State trooper anywhere in Florida will enforce the law!”
Andrew Finn
February 18, 2024 at 8:16 pm
You are exactly right Peter. They don’t (or can’t successfully) enforce half the laws currently on the books. If you are driving the speed limit, you should be in any lane you want. If not eliminate the speed limits if you are going to make the left lane an “open speed lane” under the disguise of it being a “passing lane”.
Michael K
February 16, 2024 at 9:57 am
Regardless of the speed, I suppose. Ever been tailgated by lunatics in humongous gas guzzlers or Daytona 500 wannabes who try to kill you for driving the speed limit? Why not simply eliminate speed limits, as they apparently mean nothing to people in a hurry.
Patriot
February 16, 2024 at 1:08 pm
Stupid, stupid bill. We have idiots in the Legislature. Now these morons have doubled or tripled travel time by effectively removing one lane on the expressway from through travel traffic. Turnpike now down to one lane for most of State and in urban cities commuters now lost one travel lane. When stuck in traffic on way to work or back home thank your moronic Senator and Representative for micromanaging and fixing something that was not broken. If your trip to Disney increases by three hours or you get a ticket for traveling on left lane thank the same idiots snd the Governor and his Transportation Secretary for their silence as this disaster moves through the legislature. Voters are better off reducing frequency of sessions to every two years or for that matter every four years so they do less harm to the voters of this State. Talk about a fascist government.
FedUp
February 16, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Yet another bogus law for profiling. I see your tail light is broken, window tint is too dark, music too loud, I believe I smell marijuana, and are you permitless carrying? Wasn’t your girlfriend pregnant when we stopped you traveling north? Bam! Resist!
The Dunning-Krugers of Florida
February 16, 2024 at 2:51 pm
You got it; laws to perpetuate Florida’s love of slavery. You poured acid in the hotel pool in St Augustine in the 1960s (the pool/hotel owner did it to keep Blacks out; another great Floridiot)
You shameless monsters.
mike ledin
February 16, 2024 at 3:37 pm
Let’s face it,it’s something we all knew and our state politicians have just prooved it “you can’t cure stupid.”
Florid congressmen and women are reasons we DON’T need any politicians.
Patriot
February 16, 2024 at 4:57 pm
These politicians have spent billions of tax and toll dollars collected from hard working Floridians who actually work for a living expanding highway capacity from one end of the state to the other. In one stupid bill they literally flushed the billions of dollars down the toilet. The reason? Building the highway infrastructure never about Floridians, commuters or taxpayers. It was all about providing billions of dollars in road construction contracts to huge road building companies that line their campaign coffers snd their pockets as well.
Patriot
February 16, 2024 at 4:57 pm
These politicians have spent billions of tax and toll dollars collected from hard working Floridians who actually work for a living expanding highway capacity from one end of the state to the other. In one stupid bill they literally flushed the billions of dollars down the toilet. The reason? Building the highway infrastructure never about Floridians, commuters or taxpayers. It was all about providing billions of dollars in road construction contracts to huge road building companies that line their campaign coffers snd their pockets as well.
The Dunning-Krugers of Florida
February 16, 2024 at 8:28 pm
A Florida sheriff’s deputy mistook the sound of an acorn hitting his patrol cruiser for a gunshot and fired multiple times at the SUV where a handcuffed Black man was sitting in the backseat, officials said.
The man, who was being questioned about stealing his girlfriend’s car, was not injured during the 12 November shooting. He was taken into custody but released without being charged. The officer who initiated the shooting resigned.
Useless bunch a cun+s
Tom Palmer
February 17, 2024 at 11:31 am
Maybe we should amend the law to make it a crime to wait more than one second after the traffic light turns green to proceed through the intersection. If you delay because you are on your phone, make it a felony.
TJC
February 18, 2024 at 4:40 pm
This will create opportunities for road-ragers to enforce the law themselves. The will decide for themselves if the person in the left lane is passing quickly enough, and if they feel it’s not quickly enough, they will tailgate to force the issue, and open fire if they feel disobeyed and disrespected. It’s Florida, man.
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